Sunday, March 30, 2014

My Favorite How I Met Your Mother Moments: Jenkins #HIMYM

Future Ted discusses the three places a 30 year-old New Yorker shouldn't be caught in: New Year's Eve in Times Square, Rockefeller Center during the holiday season, and any college bar. Ted and Marshall walk into a college bar, and Ted is worried about meeting his students there. Marshall returns to the bar on a regular basis to maintain his skeeball high score.

Marshall announces that they'll be meeting Jenkins, a co-worker, at the bar. He had told the gang a collection of hilarious stories about Jenkins, Ted imagining him as a goofy fat man. When Barney interjects with his desire to sleep with Jenkins, Ted is surprised to find that Jenkins is a woman (Amanda Peet).

The next day, Lily unexpectedly shows up for lunch with Marshall, and finds out that Jenkins is a woman. However, Lily is not at all jealous. Ted and Robin explain that it isn't Marshall's loyalty, but in every relationship, there is a "reacher" (a person who reaches beyond their level of beauty), and a "settler" (a person who settles for someone below their level of beauty). Flabbergasted, Marshall forces Lily to classify herself as one or the other, and she, after much hesitation (and several infinitely remote possible situations from Marshall), says "settler."

In an attempt to get Lily jealous, Marshall plans to show her how Jenkins flirts with him. By the way, Jenkins skin is amazing. She must read The Yellow Journal. While inviting Jenkins to go out again, this time with Lily, she kisses him. Marshall runs home and apologizes to Lily, who jokes that she's going to go punch Jenkins in the nose, when she obviously thinks he's just lying to make her jealous. Jenkins later apologizes, saying she was drunk from a late-night drinking game, and plans to apologize to Lily, which Marshall knows will prove he is not just a "reacher." Lily calmly listens to Jenkins' apology and promptly punches her in the nose, and continues beating her up, as Future Ted mentions that Marshall never tried to make Lily jealous again.

Meanwhile, Robin encounters fans of her pre-morning news show. When she meets the boys at the college bar, one of Ted's students comes over to tell her that he's a big fan of her work. Full of pride, she interrupts Ted's class the next day to loudly announce that she is the host of the show. After she leaves, the class explains that they are fans because her show comes on as their night of drinking is coming to an end, and her interjection, "but...umm" is the basis for a drinking game (whenever Robin says this, the students take a drink).

Ted and Barney test this game the next night, watching Robin's show, and get royally smashed. After Robin continues to brag about her wide viewership, Ted explains the drinking game. That night, his class invites him out to join their game. As revenge, Robin decides to repeat the phrase "but...umm" excessively, prompting those playing the game to drink every time. In another bar, Jenkins is also playing the same drinking game and is still drunk the next morning, which leads to the incident where she kisses Marshall.

During the next day's class, Robin interrupts again, startling the students and Ted with a megaphone when they all have hangovers.